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We would like to invite everyone to attend our sixth annual Celebration of Excellence in Research and Creative Activity (CERCA) the week of April 30-May 4, 2018. Abstracts are due March 9, 2018. Major events include:

Last year's Calendar of Events (weekly, Wednesday details, Thursday details) is posted to the right. Everyone was invited to attend these events! Students presented amazing projects in all disciplines - there was something for everyone!

A. Background

UW-Eau Claire's Celebration of Excellence in Research and Creative Activity (CERCA) is designed to give UW-Eau Claire students the opportunity to present the results of their research and scholarly creative activity. The event highlights student research accomplishments and contributions to the academic community. CERCA encourages the dissemination of research results from all disciplines represented at UW-Eau Claire.

The first UW-Eau Claire student research event, known as Student Research Day, was in 1992 with 60 posters presented. Since 1992, the event has expanded and evolved. In 2014, CERCA highlighted 343 projects by 697 different students and 372 faculty mentors. CERCA continues to grow every year.

B. Eligibility:

Any UW-Eau Claire student engaged in collaborative or independent research or scholarly creative work is eligible to apply. Participants in
all disciplines are encouraged to apply.

All projects must make new knowledge by building from previous knowledge or creating new perspectives.

Your presentation should explain how your project meets this definition. This definition is intentionally broad in order to encompass all the scholarship that takes place on campus. For example:

A kinesiology project examining the effects that a short term dynamic core exercise program may have on agility.

A research project that critically examines how scholars perceive the role of Virgil through a survey of scholarship on
The Divine Comedy in English.

An art project inspired by relational art, a currently developing field within contemporary art.

A geography project analyzing the land use/land cover changes in the lower Chippewa River watershed.

A critical performance of G.B.
Viotti transcribed for two bassoons in order to examine how aspects of Classical musical style translate across instrumental genres.

A research project studying the effect of cyber bullying on school climate.

Be attached as a Microsoft Word document if your text includes any special characters or italics and/or if formatting has been lost.

Include your project title andco-presenter names.

Include your 200 word maximum abstract.

Since your CERCA abstract will be published, it is important to:

Use terminology that will be clear to a general, non-expert audience.

Define abbreviations not universally understood upon first use (include abbreviation in parentheses immediately after you first use the term; thereafter you can use the abbreviation).

Be concise and strive for clarity.

Carefully proofread your work.

If you need additional writing assistance, experienced writing tutors in the
Center for Writing Excellence can assist you with any stage of abstract-writing.Abstracts not adhering to these guidelines may be returned for revision prior to acceptance.
Your CERCA abstract will be published in the
Proceedings Volumeonline and in print.

2. Decide on a presentation format

In addition to attaching your abstract, you will need to decide which presentation format will best suit your research. This year, CERCA has 4 presentation formats:

Oral Presentation: Oral presentations are 12 minutes plus 3 minutes for discussion. Oral sessions will be scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday and will be grouped with other oral presentations by topic. The presentation rooms are equipped with computers and projectors. Creative writing presentations should present a research context alongside the work. Please e-mail orsp@uwec.edu if you require any other accommodations or have questions.

Poster Presentation: A 42"x46" poster displayed for 2 days with a 2 hour presentation time each day. At least one presenter should be present at each presentation time. 2018 presentation dates will be Wednesday and Thursday. Poster design workshops will be available starting early April. Space for poster presentations or art displays is limited and therefore, first-come, first-served. We are able to provide tables and access to electrical outlets. If you need any additional accommodations, "Display with Explanation" will better accommodate your needs.

Display with Explanation: For presenting art, hands-on demonstrations, or anything else not conducive to a 'poster only' format. Materials should be on displayed for 2 days with a 2 hour presentation time each day. At least one presenter should be present at each presentation time. Presentation times will be Wednesday and Thursday. You will still be required to include text contextualizing and explaining your project. Most displays create a poster explaining what is on display. We will do our best to accommodate any needs your specific display may require.

Performance or Film with Lecture: Typically 25 minutes for a live performance or film including a contextualizing lecture. Your Performance or Film with Lecture will be scheduled Wednesday or Thursday. We will do our best to accommodate any needs including using Woodland Theater and making arrangements for audio equipment or instruments.

3. Submit your application

The
Celebration of Excellence in Research and Creative Activity application is processed inBP
Logixand must be initiated by a student. To start an application, the lead student will need to log intoBP
Logix, (1) select
Start New form and (2) choose
ORSP as the department. From there, (3) select "Celebration of Excellence in Research and Creative Activity". A new form should open.

To edit, submit, or resubmit a form you have previously started or a form which has been returned to you, access the form from the My Tasks tab. Once you have submitted a form, it will be viewable from the View Forms In Process tab and will no longer appear in your My Tasks tab. Please visit theUsing
eForms and BP
Logixpage for a detailed explanation of the
eForm system.

Your application will also require a faculty mentor to sign off on your application. For independent research (research that wasn't performed with a faculty mentor), the applicant must find a faculty mentor to sign off on their project.

Projects with multiple co-authors

The CERCA form is set up so that the lead student author submits a single application. Student co-authors should not submit a second application and do not need to formally approve the form. Once the lead student author submits the form, it will be sent to the faculty mentor for approval or revision before being sent to ORSP. Due to technical limitations, co-authors will not receive notification of approval and cannot edit or view the form themselves. The lead student is responsible for communicating with co-authors.

Publishing

If you are presenting a poster or display with poster, UW-Eau Claire would like to publish your poster in an online, searchable database called MINDS@UW.
To publish a poster, both the lead student author and faculty mentor will need to sign off in the application.

Still need help?

D. Deadline for Application:

Applications must be submitted online in early March 2018, exact date to be determined.

E. Creating a Poster

If you choose to do a poster presentation, you will need to design and print a large format poster after your application has been approved. Poster printing is free for CERCA presentations. You will need to submit your posterat least one week before CERCA to ensure time for printing.

All posters should include the UW-Eau Claire Power of AND brand and
wordmark in agreement with theUniversity Communications Graphic Standards Guide. Each poster should list the title of the project, the student(s)' names, the faculty mentor name(s), and the department name(s). The poster dimensions should not exceed 46x46 inches to fit the poster board; posters printed through LTS are limited to 42x46 inches. The acknowledgements section should mention the source of your research funding, if applicable. Due to the high cost of plotter supplies and the time required to fulfill poster requests, we cannot re-print final posters due to author mistakes, except in exceptional cases.

F.
Information for Visitors

We encourage students, staff, parents, and the general public to attend any and all CERCA events - the annual Student Research Days in particular. On those days, we expect 350 posters, presentations, displays, and performances from students in every discipline.

Oral Presentations, Performances, and Films will take place throughout the day Wednesday and Thursday.

Posters and Displays will be on display all day, both days.

A detailed schedule of all events is available, along with the abstracts for all presentations, in mid-April. Free parking permits are available for Wednesday and Thursday. Contact
orsp@uwec.edu or 715-836-3405 for information on how to obtain a free permit.